2014 Enrollment

[Boomer]

I'm not disregarding the intelligence of evaluating other institutions and their priorities, in order to evaluate and establish our own priorities. We can only grow from studying other institution's experiences if we completely understand all of the parameters around their experience. Too many institutions, especially in other states, have advantages (and perhaps some disadvantages) that make their experience with certain initiatives work or not work. We can neither disregard one of their bad experiences any more than we can adopt their good experiences through "emulation". -------- In VINO VERITAS

I just don't like the idea of choosing a specific school, with the many conditions and characteristics uniquely different than ours, and concluding we emulate one of them.

I have absolutely no issue with studying other institution's programs, funding mechanisms, political structure, alumni associations, community connections, business and industry connections, athletic structure, student diversity... and the list goes on... as we study our own... and adopt the best practices that will help us. I just do not believe there exists any particular existing university model that UL should inherit.

I believe you are in the mood to begin angling away from the "big athletics push". There is no doubt that it isn't the most attractive characteristic of higher education in Louisiana, or any state for that matter. But, it is still unbelievably valuable to our collective future.

And again, I do not agree that we are pitting academics and athletics. There aren't that many people in or out of UL that are common to the marketing and funding of those two compartments. I don't see this, "We are spending all of our effort with athletics... and overlooking academics.". We are not regressing academically because we are improving athletically.

As for the balance of discussion on here... you seem to be implying that if we had no athletics... this forum would be a daily whirl of posts on libraries and laboratories. That just isn't how it works. It may infuriate the chef at a fine restaurant that 95% of the conversation is centered around wine that the restaurant just went out and purchased... and not the new dish the chef created. It is irrelevant. He gets to expose his skills and creations to the public via the love of wine. The discussion of his work may be brief. But, if that restaurant does not sell wine... and the other restaurants do... this chef will be out of a job. I have two options for the chef... start loving the wine sales and join the wine discussion... or stay in the kitchen. But, if I catch him pouring out the wine due to jealousy... I'm going to cleave him... metaphorically speaking.

[Boomer]

----IN VINO VERITAS----2 great posts ---keep it up for "More FUN"!!!!

[VObserver]

LT1,

I have thought a lot about your post. There is a quote from Hinduism that I like very much, "Better one's own path, though imperfect, than another's well-made." And so we agree on that.

At the same time, how cannot we not emulate others? UL must teach, generate research, and support our communities in economic and cultural ways. We didn't invent that. And like any well-run enterprise, to compete and excel we have to pay close attention to what others are doing, and what they have learned, and we must grow from their examples & experience.

Likewise, if UL business or engineering generate a new product and no one buys it, or if we publish research and no one cites it in building their own arguments, we are a failure as an institution. And this is also true for the practical aspects of the administration of a university, and for our culture. If we are not following we are not learning, which is anathema; if we are not leading we are not innovating anything of public value, and that is equally so.

You say we will never make the mistake of misplacing our priorities as have so many big schools? Take a look right here.

There are many threads and posts urging fans to give generously to RCAF. Where are the similar discussions for academic donations?

We have a plethora of posts urging people to buy tickets, and attend athletic events. Where do our members discuss lectures and performances in even minor ways?

We discuss constantly the stadiums and other athletic facilities at other schools. Where have we put a fraction of that energy looking at their libraries and laboratories?

You say that we will never be like L-State, and that great athletics cannot overshadow great academics. For some years our academics have been ahead of our athletics. So why do we overwhelmingly talk about athletics here?

And if we didn't learn that from L-State, just who are we emulating?

Fun, this is an athletics fan forum. Of course the vast majority of the posts and/or threads are going to deal with our athletics or athletic facilities, often by comparing them with those of other schools. That does not mean that any person on this board sees athletics as the defining factor of UL or of any other school. It simply means that we are all sports fans who are here to discuss sports.

Perhaps unfortunately, academics is not a spectator sport. But if you want to talk libraries, Texas has a great one, and the fact that they have a hugely successful athletic program doesn't seem to hurt it. Great athletics and great academics are not always mutually exclusive. Stanford, Texas, Texas A&M, Michigan and Duke come to mind.

[NewsCopy]

More students are earning diplomas from the University of Louisiana.

The University's graduation rate, which is measured by the percentage of undergraduates who earn degrees within six years, has risen by more than 49 percent over the last decade, according to Dr. DeWayne Bowie, vice president for enrollment management.

The most recent figure, 47.9 percent, represents students who graduated in 2014, compared to 32.1 percent who graduated in 2004. The current graduation rate is third-highest in the state among public universities.


The graduation rate for student-athletes at the University, at 75 percent, is the best in both the state of Louisiana and the Sun Belt Conference, according to Federal Graduation Rates statistics released by the NCAA.

“Total enrollment is at a record high of almost 18,800 students this semester, but what’s significant is that more of our students are experiencing success than ever before,” said Bowie, who added the goal is to attain a 50 percent graduation rate in the next several years.

Overall, tougher admissions standards, an increased scholarship budget, and efforts to reduce class sizes, to limit the number of courses that may be dropped, and to monitor student performance have contributed to higher rates, Bowie said.

Retention rates between students’ first and second years also have increased. The most recent figure for full-time, degree-seeking freshmen continuing to their second year is 76.3 percent for Fall 2014, a 2 percent increase over the previous year.

Louisiana.edu

[NewsCopy]

For the second consecutive year, Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns student-athletes posted the highest graduation rate in both the Sun Belt Conference and the state of Louisiana in the latest Federal Graduation Rate Report which was released by the NCAA on Tuesday.

The rest of the story

UL SI

[NewsCopy]

The Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns soccer team earned the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award, the organization announced Monday afternoon.

The rest of the story

UL SI

[NewsCopy]

_

Top row: April Begnaud, Austen Catlin, Garrett Darbonne, and Alexandra Dardar.
Bottom row: Merlin Dartez, Jr., Nicholas Lott, Taylor McCaulley, and Emma Trahan

Eight students will be honored during Fall 2014 Commencement ceremonies as the University of Louisiana Alumni Association’s Outstanding Graduates.

Every spring and fall semester, deans from eight academic colleges each nominate a student as an Outstanding Graduate, based on leadership, scholarship and service. A selection committee of the Alumni Association interviews the candidates and selects one to receive the overall award.

The overall Outstanding Graduate will be announced during the Fall Commencement General Assembly on Friday, Dec. 19, at the Cajundome.

Here’s a look at this semester’s Outstanding Graduates.

Nicholas Lott is the Outstanding Graduate for the College of the Arts.

He is an architectural studies major who has a 3.663 cumulative average.

Lott received numerous awards and scholarships for his work, including the Design Excellence Award and the Acme Brick Scholarship Award. He earned a competitive internship with Eskew, Dumez and Ripple, a New Orleans-based multi-disciplinary architectural firm.

In 2012, Lott was a fourth-place finalist in a “Little Libraries” contest. Architecture students were challenged to design and build tiny libraries – big enough to hold about a dozen books – that were placed in Lafayette neighborhoods. The contest was sponsored by the Louisiana chapter of the American Institute of Arts.

Lott was a Marine/Navy hospital corpsman for four years before enrolling at UL.

He is the son of Dr. Hulon Lott Jr. and Noel Lott of Baton Rouge, La.

Alexandra Dardar is the Outstanding Graduate for the B.I. Moody III College of Business Administration.

She is an accounting major with a 3.89 GPA, and has been on the President’s List.

Dardar was vice president of service for Beta Alpha Psi. At a regional meeting of the honor society, she placed first in the best practices competition.

She was recognized at the UL Valedictorian and Top ACT Award Banquet.

Dardar received the MCOBA Scholarship.

She attended the Institute of Management Accountants Student Leadership Conference in Indianapolis, Ind., and participated in the UL Study Abroad Program in Costa Rica.

Dardar was a member of the 2014 Homecoming Court.

Her community service includes working with Habitat for Humanity, the Autism Society of Acadiana, St. Joseph’s Diner, St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, and North Vermilion High School.

Dardar plans to pursue a master’s of business administration degree at UL.

She is the daughter of Clayton and Susan Dardar of Abbeville, La.

April Begnaud is the Outstanding Graduate for the College of Education.

An elementary education major with a 4.0 GPA, Begnaud has been on the President’s List.

She received the TOPS Honors Award, and was a member of the Kappa Delta Pi and the Phi Kappa Phi honor societies.

Her numerous scholarships include the UL Transfer Scholarship, the Black Faculty and Staff Association Scholarship, the Ezell Butaud Coleman Foundation Scholarship, the Jesse and Irma Jewell Endowed Scholarship, and the Joan and Alexander Haig Foundation Scholarship.

The Black Faculty and Staff Association recognized Begnaud as Outstanding Female Graduate in the College of Education.

She has performed community service for the United Negro College Fund, Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure, Special Olympics, Autism Society of Acadiana, and Read Across America program.

Begnaud wants to teach elementary students, and plans to pursue a master’s degree in gifted education or mathematics education.

She is the daughter of Paul and Cheryl Lemelle of Lafayette.

Austen Catlin is the Outstanding Graduate for the College of Engineering.

A petroleum engineering major, she has a 3.7 GPA and was on the dean’s list for every semester of her college career.

She earned a Society of Petroleum Engineer’s Evangeline Section Academic Scholarship and the Margaret McMillan Endowed Scholarship. Catlin was vice president of Pi Epsilon Tau Petroleum Engineering Honor Society this academic year. Also, she was a member of the Petrobowl Team that competed at the SPE annual Technical Conference and Exhibition in Amsterdam this year.

In the Summer of 2013, Catlin interned with Halliburton Energy Services, which gave her the chance to observe drilling operations. Last summer, she interned with Chevron as a drilling engineer. Catlin will begin working with Chevron as a drilling engineer in Bakersfield, Calif., after graduation.

She is the daughter of Mike and Judy Catlin of Mountain Home, Ark.

Emma Trahan is the Outstanding Graduate for the College of General Studies.

She is a general studies major with a concentration in arts and humanities.

Trahan has a 3.72 GPA. She was recognized for academic excellence at Honors Convocation ceremonies during the spring semesters in 2013 and in 2014.

She has been a member of the Sigma Alpha Lambda, a national leadership and honors organization.

Her community service includes working with the Games of Acadiana, an annual event that is sponsored by Miles Perret Cancer Services. She also participated in the Buddy Walk, which is sponsored by the Down Syndrome Association of Acadiana.

Trahan is the daughter of David and Suzette Trahan of Abbeville, La.

Taylor McCaulley is the Outstanding Graduate for the College of Liberal Arts.

She is an English major with a 4.0 GPA, and has been on the President’s and Dean’s lists.

McCaulley was a member of the University of Louisiana Honors Program, and the Phi Kappa Phi and the Phi Beta Delta honor societies.

Her numerous scholarships include the University of Louisiana academic Transfer Scholarship, the University of Louisiana alumni Association Endowed Scholarship, and the Fresenius Medical Care Scholarship.

She has performed community service for Sacred Heart High School, Our Lady of Wisdom Catholic Church and Student Center, and St. Joseph’s Diner._

McCaulley plans to pursue a master of arts in theological studies at Notre Dame Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in New Orleans.

She would like to become a Christian counselor and writer, or to enter the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, a religious community in Irondale, Ala.

McCaulley is the daughter of Randy and Melinda McCaulley of Ville Platte, La.

Garrett Darbonne is the Outstanding Graduate for the College of Nursing and Allied Health Professions.

A member of four honor societies, he has a 3.6 GPA.

Darbonne founded the University of Louisiana chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing and is its president.

He served on the College of Nursing and Allied Health Profession’s Dean’s /BSN Advisory Council for five semesters and represented the college as a member of the Student Government Association. Also, Darbonne served on the Student Leadership Council and was a member of the Student Organization Leadership Association.

He has worked as a volunteer with several organizations, including Ragin’ Cajun Catholics, Faith House of Acadiana, and Rebuildig Together – Lafayette.

Darbonne participated in a mission trip in Kingston, Jamaica, to work with the Catholic Missionaries of the Poor.

He is the son of Arlene and Don Darbonne of Scott, La.

Merlin Dartez Jr. is the Outstanding Graduate for the Ray P. Authement College of Sciences.

A chemistry major with a 3.6 GPA, he earned American Chemical Society certification and a minor in mathematics.

His work has already been published twice in two prestigious chemistry journals.

Since 2010, Dartez has been promoting science and chemistry to students of all ages. He has visited more than 15 elementary, middle and high schools in the area to coordinate a Science Day or offer demonstrations intended to interest students in chemistry.

From August 2011 until 2013, he was a chemistry tutor on campus.

Dartez, three other students and two faculty members, participated in a foreign exchange program in Yinchuan, China, during the summer of 2013. They conducted research with the chemistry and biosciences department at Beifang University there.

He is the son of Helen and Merlin J. Dartez Sr. of Crowley, La.

Louisiana.edu